Hess Field Wiffle Ball
Rules of the Game Hess Field Wiffle Ball Section 1: Equipment and Field Regulations 1. The Ball: Only official regulated wiffleballs are allowed. No scuffing of the ball is allowed, nor is tapping the ball. 2. The Bat : Only the yellow regulated wiffleball bats are allowed. The bat handle may be tapped, but no tape is permitted on the top of the bat. 3. Bases: There will be four bases; each base will be 40 feet apart from each other. 4. Strike zone : There will be a strike zone placed behind Home plate. The strike zone will measure 19 inches wide, 31 inches tall, and stand 13 inches off the ground. 5. Far pitchers mound : The far pitchers mound will be 46 feet from the strike zone. The pitcher must have his foot on the rubber while throwing towards home plate. 5a. Short pitchers mound: the short pitchers mound will be 40 feet from the strike zone and has a set speed limit. (See section 5.4) 5b. Switching between mounds: Before the game starts you may select either mound to pitch from. You are allowed to switch once during a game, and may not switch back. 6. Team uniforms: Teams are required to wear matching uniforms. Contact the commissioner with any questions. 7. The Dud Zone: There will be a "Dud Zone" in front of home plate. This is a 17 foot radius from the strike zone. Any ball that lands or is fielded within the zone will be considered a foul ball . 8. Umpires: Calls (safe/out) will be made by players in the game. If an agreement cannot be made, a third party will be asked. If there still is no resolution, a redo will occur. Please be honest! Section 2: The Game 1. Length: The game will be 6 innings in length. If the score is still tied at the end of 6 innings, extra innings will be used to determine a winner. Three innings of play makes a game official. 2. Players: There must be at least 3 players to field a team for an official game. Any less will result in a forfeit. 3. Mercy inning: Only 9 runs are allowed to be scored per inning. If a team hits a home run before reaching the 9 runs, all runs count. For example: With the bases loaded and 8 runs already scored, if the team hits a grand slam , all the runs score. This would result in 12 runs scored. 4. Mercy a team: If a team is up by 12 or more runs following the 4th inning, the game is over. 5. Home Field Advantage Rule: In the 6th inning, and only in the 6th, the home team is allowed to score as many runs as possible. They are not restricted by the 9 runs per inning. They may score as many runs as possible to win the game. 6. Make-up Games: A team may not have more than 2 rescheduled games to make-up at any time. If a team has had to reschedule 2 games already and has not yet made them up than the next game the team cannot field a team will result in a forfeit, not a make-up. Games that have to be rescheduled due to bad weather do not count against a teams tally. Section 3: Offense 1. Foul Strike Out: This rule only applies when there is two strikes on the batter. If the batter foul tips the ball, and the ball hits the strike zone, the batter is out. 2. Big Elbows: No part of your body, including your arms, may extend over the strike zone. Warnings will be issued. If the problem persists, the pitch will be called an automatic strike. 3. Bunting: There is no bunting. The player may not square up to bunt. Players are allowed to slap at the ball. 4. Batting Out Of Order: Batting out of order results in an automatic out. The batter that missed his turn will be skipped in his next plate appearance. 5. Leading: There is no leading. Runners may advance only when the ball is put into play. 6. Ghost Runners: Ghost Runners can be forced out by touching their destination base before the runner reaches first base. The Ghost runner is as fast as the runner going to first. 7. Stealing: There is no stealing bases. 8. Designated Hitters: Teams with more than 5 players at the field may have designated hitters. 9. Dead Base Rule: If a player slides into a base, before he is pegged or thrown out, and the base dislodges than the runner is safe and the play is dead. Any other baserunners that are running when the play becomes dead will be sent to the base they are closest to. Section 4: Defense 1. Fielder: You are allowed a maximum of 5 fielders, 4 fielders and a pitcher, at any field. 2. Pegging: Pegging is allowed. The ball must hit the player in the air. If the ball hits the ground first, the player is not out. 3. Gloves: There will only be two players allowed with gloves on the field at anytime. The gloves can be worn by any two position players. Batting gloves are also allowed. 4. Force Out Rule: This rule only applies when the bases are loaded. The fielding team may throw the ball and hit the strike zone. If the ball hits the strikezone before the player reaches home, the runner is out. The play is also automatically over. No runners may advance after the ball hits the strikezone. Section 5: Pitching 1. Pitching Rotation: If a pitcher throws more than two innings in any game, he may not pitch the next two (2) games. If the pitcher throws two innings or less, he is allowed to throw in the next game. 1a. Rotation re-set: Teams with a losing record may reset their rotation after the all-star break 2. Pitching Rubber: Pitchers must have one foot on the rubber when releasing the ball. 3. Balks: There are no balks. 4. Pitch Speed: Players may throw as hard or slow as they would like from the far mound. There is no speed limit on the far mound. A 50 MPH speed limit is set for pitchers throwing from the short mound. 5. Save Situations: Five runs constitutes a save situation. 6. Pickoffs: There are no pickoffs. 7. Re-entry: Once a pitcher is taken out of the game he may not re-enter to pitch in that game. Walks/Strikeouts 1. Four balls equals a walk. 2. Three strikes equals a strikeout. Section 6: Playoffs 1. Pitching Rotation: A teams pitching rotation will reset at the start of the playoffs. From that point on though, teams must follow the normal pitching rotation rules stated above in Section 5.1. 2. Format: The 1st round of the playoffs will be a best of 3 series. The championship round and World Series will be a best of 5 series. 3. Home Team: the home team in the world Series will be determined by the all-Star game winner. Home field for the rest of the playoffs will be determined by higher seed. 4. Home Field: Excluding the first round, each team will choose a “home field” which they wish to play their home games on. The higher seeded team will be home in games 1,2, and 5. Records: